gameplay
Latest
WildStar gears up for another class livestream this weekend
Are you ready for the next re-revealed class in WildStar's lineup? Because another livestream is coming up on Saturday, and based on the hints in that announcement you can take a shot in the dark and know that it's going to be the Spellslinger. Wait. That wasn't a hint at all. And it makes sense, as the class was the third class originally known for the game. Not that this would prevent the team from throwing everyone for a loop, of course. But whether or not a loop is thrown, you can make a point of catching the next stream on the game's official livestream channel, which will feature the usual array of gameplay mixed with banter for fans. What's that? You missed the most recent livestream and want to catch up? Well, that's all right, it's archived and viewable just the same. Due to minor technical issues it's broken up into two parts, but that shouldn't be an insurmountable issue. Check out the Esper in all its mentalistic glory just past the break!
Warlords of Draenor gameplay impressions
Of course, one of the best bits of attending BlizzCon in person, apart from getting to hang out with so many awesome people, is that you get to play the games on the floor. And, of course, I had to maximize that resource to bring you all some information on the new expansion, and how it was from a player perspective. As luck would have it, I was sitting with someone to my left who played a tank, so the first thing I did was to grab 3 DPS and forge ahead into Bloodmaul Slag Mines. Squished At first, setting up bars, gear and abilities in a hurry, I didn't actually notice the item squish. As we were pulling mobs, health bars were moving just as I'd expect them to, everything was taking damage and everyone was being healed in the manner to which I was accustomed. It was only when I glanced at my character sheet after noticing that my mana regen was good that I noticed: I'd been squished.
Life is Feudal is offering a look at the gameplay via livestream Friday
Show me the sandbox! If you've wanted to catch a glimpse of Life is Feudal gameplay, the recently announced medieval sandbox being developed by Bitbox, set some time aside this Friday. At 3:00 p.m. EST on November 15th, devs will be livestreaming some of the gameplay of this project they've been working on for the last three years. Will the live show highlight the terraforming, the crafting minigames, or the target-less combat (which includes aiming for ranged attacks)? And how much of the seamless world can the devs traverse in just one livestream? You'll have to watch on Friday to find out! The address for the stream will be announced later, but those who miss it can take note of the game's official YouTube channel in order to watch it afterwards. [Thanks to Kuroi for the tip!]
Infinite Crisis shows off Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn has gone from being a simple sidekick for the Joker to being a respected villain in her own right, albeit one that's generally seen as something of an airhead. It's easy to forget that she was a psychiatrist assigned to take care of the Joker in the first place. So it kind of makes sense that she'd be more than just another pretty smash-happy character in Infinite Crisis, instead taking a more subtle role as a healer and support. Harley's passive ability buffs movement and attack speed for all nearby allies, while her activated abilities consist of a direct heal, a ranged attack, a knockback, and a knockup. The net result is that Harley works as support for teammates, knocking away certain enemies while keeping her immediate team healed and buffed. Check out the video preview past the break for more details on how to make the most of Harley's specific arsenal.
South Park: The Stick of Truth delayed to March 2014
South Park: The Stick of Truth has been delayed to March 4, 2014, Ubisoft announced today. The game will now launch on March 6, 2014 in Europe. Ubisoft acquired the game when it purchased THQ Montreal in January, later announcing that the game would arrive this holiday season. "Within three weeks after acquiring the game, we sadly realized we had to turn this thing upside down if we hoped to deliver the experience everybody wanted," Ubisoft North America's president Laurent Detoc said in the announcement blog. "It's been such a major overhaul to get to the point where we are that we couldn't let it go, even if that meant missing December." Ubisoft also unveiled a new gameplay trailer for the game, which clocks in at over seven minutes long.
New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting
If you dropped a ton of rocks and a ton of feathers from the top of Nerd Kingdom's office, which would hit the ground first? It doesn't matter; the fun is in watching them fall! And you can watch a variety of things falling in TUG's newest video, from stools to rocks to torches -- even trees! The video gives a visual lesson on the physics of the world, with items rotating naturally in the air then bouncing and rolling around once they hit the ground or each other. Add to that some horizontal velocity as things are hurled through the air and the whole things feels very organic. The gameplay display continues with a course in resource acquisition and combination; the natural elements gathered nearby are crafted into a simple weapon/tool. Study these new elements for yourself in the video below, then class dismissed!
Hands-on with GestureWorks' Gameplay virtual controller (video)
With the exception of the Razer Edge, Windows 8 tablets are at a disadvantage when it comes to gaming -- most PC games are built with keyboard, mouse or a gamepad in mind. Although Civilization V and other select titles have special multitouch controls for the Surface Pro enthusiast, the majority of games are simply unplayable without peripherals. The solution? Find a middleman. GestureWorks Gameplay promises to solve the tablet owner's mobile gaming woes by creating a virtual touch interface that emulates keyboard and mouse inputs. The suite allows users to create custom multitouch controllers with virtual joysticks, d-pads, buttons and even mappable swipe gestures. It's a curious proposition, particularly when one considers the efforts Android and iOS gamers go through to dodge touchscreen controls. We met up with the company to get a quick look at the program's beta.
The Nexus Telegraph: Still looking forward to WildStar
One of the analogies I keep coming back to is that choosing an MMO is a lot like being in a long-term relationship. That's also true of sticking with one for the long term. Some weeks, your MMO of choice just seems to do everything wrong, and sometimes you go through a period of time when you're just not sure if the relationship works any longer. WildStar and I are in a bit of a long-distance relationship at the moment, what with me steadfastly existing in the present and her not technically having launched just yet. And sometimes she finds ways to make me upset, with clueless design or business decisions that leave me wondering what in the hell went on in the background. But then there are things that get me excited, things that remind me of why I've been waiting for this game for a while. So let's talk about some of the stuff that still gets me excited.
WildStar unveils the details on ability mechanics
Abilities are the bread and butter of games. You have to be able to do something, after all. WildStar started with the same basic foundation as several other MMOs, but as it is wont to do, it's evolved to have a very different foundation now. It's so different, in fact, that the latest Dev Speak video is all about how abilities work and how they differ from the standard MMO trifecta of casts, channels, and instant abilities. Of course, we could just tell you how all of this fits together... but why would we do that when we can just show you? So click on past the break for the video itself, and then keep reading for more specific details on these new mechanics. Even familiar things like cast bars are a little different here, and you'll want to see some of this stuff in action.
EA addressing FIFA 14 balance issues in future update
EA recently acknowledged a few gameplay issues for FIFA 14 in an official forum post as items being considered for a future update. The three pieces of feedback from players regarding the soccer sim's on-field gameplay the developer will look to tweak are the reported over-effectiveness of goals scored on headers from crossed balls and corner kicks, overpowered finesse shots as well as the accuracy of lofted through-balls. It didn't list a specific timeline for when the game would be patched. EA also acknowledged continued reports of freezing during the game, an issue we encountered a few times during our review process, and will "continue to investigate these reports internally." The game's day-one patch addressed stability issues in FIFA 14's Skill Games and Creation Centre modes.
The Daily Grind: Would you prefer to level quickly or level 'right'?
There is almost always a method to speed your character along to the level cap. Sometimes it's just slightly faster than the path you're supposed to take; sometimes it's orders of magnitude quicker. It almost always does not involve actually challenging content. Instead, you grind something repetitive with good rewards (FATE parties in Final Fantasy XIV, rifts in RIFT, and so forth) until you can happily say that you're at the level cap and ready to take part in the endgame. Of course, you frequently aren't ready to participate in that endgame, as the past however many levels didn't really teach you how to play the game except for efficiency. For some people, learning at that point is easier than learning as they go. For others, it's better to take a little longer to hit the cap on the condition that you'll know how to play the game better when you get there. So which do you prefer? Learning along the way or just learning when you're at the top? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
GestureWorks Gameplay to add custom controls to 'hundreds' of Windows 8 games
GestureWorks Gameplay, an application that allows users to build custom touch and gesture-based controls for "hundreds" of Windows 8 games, was revealed at the Intel Developer Forum last week. GestureWorks is planned to begin assuming direct control release in November 2013. Developer Ideum plans to include "a dozen pre-built Virtual Controllers for popular Windows games" with GestureWorks. The software will also offer "easy to use, drag-and-drop" tools to allow for custom setups. Users will be able to place "joysticks, d-pads, switches, scroll wheels and buttons anywhere on the screen, change the size, opacity, and add colors and labels." The software will also support "over 200" gestures, some of those being multitouch. If you're frequently frustrated by predefined touchscreen layouts, sign up to become a GestureWorks beta tester.
Driveclub gameplay trailer speeds through the night
This video for Driveclub takes an Audi R8 V10 Plus through the game's nighttime Salar de Surire track. Driveclub will launch with the PS4 on November 15.
GestureWorks Gameplay adds onscreen controls to almost any Windows 8 game
GestureWorks is smearing the lines between PC and tablet gaming with its Windows 8 app, Gameplay. The application lets you custom-design gestures and virtual buttons for most games, and place them wherever you see fit. It probably works fine with Castle Crashers' simplistic mayhem (pictured above), but we aren't so sure we'd want to explore Skyrim without a mouse and keyboard. Regardless, maybe now you can give those Steam sale impulse buys a whirl while you're on the go.
PAX Prime 2013: Guild Wars 2's Jon Peters on the state of PvP
At this year's PAX Prime, we attended a party hosted by ArenaNet at which the studio demoed the second world of Super Adventure Box. There was a raffle, plenty of drinks, and a lot of ANet people. In fact, I mentioned to ArenaNet's reps that I was really into competitive play, PvP, and e-sports. Not five minutes later, I was introduced to Jon Peters, lead gameplay designer for Guild Wars 2. I was a bit intimidated; I mean, this was the guy who singlehandedly created over 70% of the skills in GW2! But he was surprisingly down-to-earth with our conversation.
Tamriel Infinium: Why I will play Elder Scrolls Online
With all the new kinds of MMOs hitting the market, and with the splintering directions that MMO communities seem to take, I wanted to take a cathartic moment and really explore the reasons why I want to play the Elder Scrolls Online. The MMORPG market is growing astronomically. If we look at the games that are already out there, we see a wide variety of thematic differences between MMO games. The mechanics and the target audiences are vastly different from what they were even a few years ago. When I started playing MMOs, the number of existing MMOs could be counted on one hand, but now the number of MMOs being released in a year dwarfs that number. Why would I chose to play ESO when there are so many other choices out there?
The Elder Scrolls Online's gameplay at QuakeCon [Updated]
QuakeCon, hailed as the largest LAN party in North America, kicked off yesterday, and since MMO fans have been clamoring for some uninterrupted Elder Scrolls Online gameplay, ZeniMax chose QuakeCon as the venue to show off its latest addition to the Elder Scrolls franchise. Starting right now (at 1:30 p.m. EDT), Creative Director Paul Sage and other lead designers are livestreaming direct from Dallas, Texas. Our intrepid reporters are watching along, providing a periodic liveblog in this post as well as frequent chatter in our comments. Watch the stream and join the conversation right now! [Update: The stream is over now, but we've collected the important bits beyond the cut, and Larry's liveblog in the comments is still viewable!]
The Elder Scrolls Online gets analyzed on a minute-by-minute basis
They say you need to see it to believe it, so cozy on up to the following gameplay video of The Elder Scrolls Online to judge whether or not this upcoming MMO belongs in the same league as Skyrim. The video's commentators believe it does, and they spend over 20 minutes analyzing the game's NPCs, lighting, dungeons, and voice-overs. There's also significant discussion (but no related visuals) about TESO's character creation, which the commentators say is not in the same league as most MMO systems. Check it out after the break!
The Crew aims for Q1 2014 release
Buckle up, racing fans: You might be sitting in the driver's seat of The Crew early next year. In an investor's call, Ubisoft said that it's aiming for a Q1 2014 release for the persistent online racing world. Production Director Pete Young said in a recent blog post that the studio is striving to connect players through this racing title: "We're making it extremely easy to see the players that are around you, quickly group up with those guys, make new friends and take on missions cooperatively." The Crew will be available for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. If it's got you itching for more info, check out Ubisoft's guided gameplay video from last month after the break.
Will GTA 5 have an MMO side?
The good folks at Rockstar Games have released a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 5, set to release on September 17 of this year. Why are we talking about a single-player game here on Massively? Just watch the last 18 seconds of the video embedded below. "And then, there's Grand Theft Auto Online," the narrator says as the video shows the main character looking out over a city of almost a dozen other players flying and driving around. Rockstar says they will show off the online features "soon," so we'll have to wait a bit longer to find out just how massively multiplayer this teased online feature could be.
